Latest news with #Cognition
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
Windsurf's Indian-origin founder slammed for joining Google; Vinod Khosla calls them 'Bad examples' of founders
Windsurf's Indian-origin co-founder, Varun Mohan, is facing criticism from venture capitalist Vinod Khosla for joining Google. The Indian-American billionaire, who is also the co-founder of Sun Microsystems, took to the social media platform X (earlier Twitter) to call Mohan and his co-founder, Douglas Chen , "bad examples" of founders. This comes after a potential $3 billion acquisition of their AI startup, Windsurf, by OpenAI didn't go through. Subsequently, Mohan and Chen joined Google DeepMind , leaving the remaining Windsurf executives to scramble for a new deal. However, the remaining team ultimately secured an acquisition by another AI startup named Cognition, which Khosla Ventures invests in. Cognition's new CEO, Jeff Wang, described the situation as "crazy." What Vinod Khosla said about Windsurf's founders Replying to a recent X post criticising Windsurf's founders, Khosla wrote: 'So true. Windsurf and others are really bad examples of founders leaving their teams behind and not even sharing the proceeds with their team. I definitely would not work with their founders next time.' by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like New Launch at Godrej Sector 12 | Luxurious 3 BHK + S & 4 BHK Homes @₹2.90 Cr* Godrej Majesty Learn More Undo Khosla made his comments in reaction to a clip from The Twenty Minute VC podcast, where Cognition founder Scott Wu said: 'There's an unspoken covenant that as a founder, you go down with the ship. And I think that, for better or worse, it's changed a bit over the last year, and I think it's a bit disappointing to be honest.' Later on, another X user called out Khosla's response as hypocritical, prompting him to elaborate further. Responding to this, Khosla wrote: 'Absolutely not hypocritical about it. I would not work with the WeWork founder either! Working without trust is sure way to be unhappy. And is this founder able to get the best teams to come join him? A 100X isn't worth it to me at the cost of my values, especially since I have the luxury of not needing the money. Not saying it applies to others. I honestly asked myself if I made $1b on this "deal" would I accept it and be quiet or fight for the rest of the team? Or give part of my money to the rest of the team? Hard to say without being in the situation but I feel I'd definitely fight for those left behind.' Google Pixel 10 Series Launch: Everything Coming on August 20 AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
NDTV
5 hours ago
- Business
- NDTV
Indian-Origin CEO Facing Backlash For Ditching Startup To Join Google: "Generational Villain"
Days after Google hired Windsurf's Varun Mohan, a backlash has ensued with social media users slamming the Indian-origin CEO for leaving the company. Mr Mohan, alongside co-founder Douglas Chen, joined Google's artificial intelligence (AI) arm DeepMind, following a high-stakes corporate tug-of-war that reportedly saw OpenAI in advanced talks to acquire Windsurf just last month. His abrupt exit, however, left Windsurf in turmoil. The startup managed to secure a last-minute acquisition by another AI firm, Cognition, after a weekend of frantic negotiations. The company's new CEO, Jeff Wang, described the rescue as "crazy". Venture capitalist Vinod Khosla took to X (formerly Twitter) to call out Mohan, saying he would not work with him again. "Windsurf and others are really bad examples of founders leaving their teams behind and not even sharing the proceeds," Mr Khosla wrote. So true. Windsurf and others are really bad examples of founders leaving their teams behind and not even sharing the proceeds with their team. I definitely would not work with their founders next time. — Vinod Khosla (@vkhosla) July 19, 2025 Meanwhile, CEO of Cognition, Scott Wu, added: "There's an unspoken covenant that as a founder, you go down with the ship. For better or worse, it's changed a bit over the last year and I think it's disappointing, to be honest." 'There's an unspoken covenant that as a founder, you go down with the ship. For better or worse, it's changed a bit over the last year and I think it's disappointing, to be honest.' Enough said. This show is everything and more on: - What really happened behind the scenes -… — Harry Stebbings (@HarryStebbings) July 18, 2025 "Varun Mohan is a generational villain at this point, crazy saga. Also, no word from him," said one user while another added: "The original Windsurf leadership team jumping ships to join Google with cherry-picked employees and leaving most of the team behind is unconscionable. Deeply unethical." Varun Mohan is a generational villain at this point.. crazy saga. Also no word from him. — Chandra (@NCResq) July 19, 2025 Also Read | Here's How Much Andy Byron's Wife Could Get In Divorce After Coldplay Kiss Cam Scandal While the backlash was intense, Ycombinator CEO Garry Tan came to Mr Mohan's rescue, stating he did not deserve to be dragged into the internet beef. "Varun Mohan and the team at Windsurf built something great," wrote Mr Tan, adding: "He and his team don't deserve to be dragged and I think in the long term their decision to sell will be vindicated. It can be irresistible to fan the flames on Internet beef but in this case everyone should stand down given what really happened." Mr Mohan, who has Indian roots, was raised in Sunnyvale, California, by parents who migrated from India. He attended The Harker School in San Jose before moving on to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he earned both a Bachelor's and Master of Engineering degree in Computer Science. He co-founded Windsurf in June 2021, with the startup gaining prominence for developing AI tools that streamline software development workflows. Under his leadership, Windsurf quickly became one of Silicon Valley's most promising names in AI infrastructure.
Mint
10 hours ago
- Business
- Mint
Indian-origin CEO faces backlash for leaving startup to join Google after $3 billion deal falls through
Varun Mohan, the Indian-origin CEO of AI startup Windsurf, is facing backlash after quitting the company to join Google's DeepMind, leaving behind a deal that could have sold the firm to OpenAI for $3 billion. His abrupt exit, along with co-founder Douglas Chen, left Windsurf in turmoil. The startup managed to secure a last-minute acquisition by another AI firm, Cognition, after a weekend of frantic negotiations. The company's new CEO, Jeff Wang, described the rescue as 'crazy'. Venture capitalist Vinod Khosla sharply criticised Mohan, saying he would not work with him again. 'Windsurf and others are really bad examples of founders leaving their teams behind and not even sharing the proceeds,' Mr Khosla wrote on X. Cognition CEO Scott Wu also weighed in, calling Mohan's move a breach of the founder's 'unspoken covenant' to stay with the company through difficult times. On social media, Mohan was labelled by some users as a 'generational villain'. A user commented, "Founders cashing out while the team's left behind isn't just bad form, it's long term reputation damage." Another user wrote on X, 'Yes. It's very disappointing to see this. They probably figured that's the only way to have some meaningful exit and hoped that the rest of the company would benefit from the 'investment'. Unfortunately, the folks who stay behind are often the ones left holding the bag… same with Scale AI, same with Windsurf.' "Money and power always brings greed and selfishness," the third user wrote on X. The fourth wrote, 'I agree. The founder lacked cojones. You're a top 5 company in a trillion dollar market. Go raise a big boy round and go to war. Instead you get intimidated and take a shitty deal to enrich yourself and screw over everyone else?' The fifth labelled him a generational villain, "Varun Mohan is a generational villain at this point.. crazy saga. Also no word from him."
Business Insider
21 hours ago
- Business
- Business Insider
Vinod Khosla says Windsurf's founders abandoned their team: 'I definitely would not work with their founders next time'
Varun Mohan and Douglas Chen nearly struck a deal to sell the company to OpenAI for $3 billion before it suddenly fell through. Then,the two decamped to Google DeepMind, leaving the rest of the company scrambling. Windsurf's remaining executives struck a deal with another AI startup, Cognition, the following weekend, which its new CEO, Jeff Wang, described as "crazy." Now, legendary venture capitalist Vinod Khosla has weighed in on the drama, criticizing the founders' decision to leave. Khosla Ventures is an investor in Cognition. "Windsurf and others are really bad examples of founders leaving their teams behind and not even sharing the proceeds with their team," Khosla said in an X post. "I definitely would not work with their founders next time." Khosla's remarks were in response to a clip from "The Twenty Minute VC" podcast featuring Cognition founder Scott Wu, who said, "There's an unspoken covenant that as a founder, you go down with the ship." "And I think that, for better or worse, it's changed a bit over the last year, and I think it's a bit disappointing to be honest," Wu said. One X user suggested Khosla's response was hypocritical, prompting him to expand further on Sunday. "Absolutely not hypocritical about it. I would not work with the WeWork founder either! Working without trust is a sure way to be unhappy," Khosla said on X. "I honestly asked myself if I made $1b on this 'deal', would I accept it and be quiet or fight for the rest of the team? Or give part of my money to the rest of the team? Hard to say without being in the situation but I feel I'd definitely fight for those left behind," he added. Khosla, Mohan, and Chen did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider. Wang, who previously served as head of business at Windsurf, recounted on X on Saturday his experience informing the Windsurf staff that not only had the OpenAI deal fallen through, but its two cofounders had left. "The mood was very bleak," Wang wrote. "Some people were upset about financial outcomes or colleagues leaving, while others were worried about the future. A few were in tears."
Business Insider
21 hours ago
- Business
- Business Insider
Vinod Khosla says Windsurf's founders abandoned their team: 'I definitely would not work with their founders next time'
The founders of Windsurf, the now much talked about AI startup, are having a roller coaster couple of weeks. Varun Mohan and Douglas Chen nearly struck a deal to sell the company to OpenAI for $3 billion before it suddenly fell through. Then, the two decamped to Google DeepMind, leaving the rest of the company scrambling. Windsurf's remaining executives struck a deal with another AI startup, Cognition, the following weekend, which its new CEO, Jeff Wang, described as "crazy." Now, legendary venture capitalist Vinod Khosla has weighed in on the drama, criticizing the founders' decision to leave. Khosla Ventures is an investor in Cognition. "Windsurf and others are really bad examples of founders leaving their teams behind and not even sharing the proceeds with their team," Khosla said in an X post. "I definitely would not work with their founders next time." Khosla's remarks were in response to a clip from "The Twenty Minute VC" podcast featuring Cognition founder Scott Wu, who said, "There's an unspoken covenant that as a founder, you go down with the ship." "And I think that, for better or worse, it's changed a bit over the last year, and I think it's a bit disappointing to be honest," Wu said. One X user suggested Khosla's response was hypocritical, prompting him to expand further on Sunday. "Absolutely not hypocritical about it. I would not work with the WeWork founder either! Working without trust is a sure way to be unhappy," Khosla said on X. "I honestly asked myself if I made $1b on this 'deal', would I accept it and be quiet or fight for the rest of the team? Or give part of my money to the rest of the team? Hard to say without being in the situation but I feel I'd definitely fight for those left behind," he added. Khosla, Mohan, and Chen did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider. Wang, who previously served as head of business at Windsurf, recounted on X on Saturday his experience informing the Windsurf staff that not only had the OpenAI deal fallen through, but its two cofounders had left. "The mood was very bleak," Wang wrote. "Some people were upset about financial outcomes or colleagues leaving, while others were worried about the future. A few were in tears." Still, Wang praised Mohan and Chen. He said they were "great founders and this company meant a lot to them, and it should be acknowledged that this whole situation must have been difficult for them as well."
